Augmented Reality or Web 3.0, the third dimension of the web is now real! Read on to understand the possibilities

What is Augmented Reality or AR?

So far the World Wide Web has been largely a 2D experience, flat pages joined together with hyperlinks that enable humans to read and interact, talk and share content freely, but all this is going to change. Augmented Reality (AR) is an amplified version of the real physical world through the use of digital visual elements, sound, or other sensory stimuli delivered via technology. Subsequently, AR can be defined as a system that incorporates three basic features: a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects with the rise of AR Web 3.0 we would be able to interact freely with the real world. Going forward Artificial Intelligence will draw from human experiences while IOT devices would increase the perception of machines in the real world. This would enable humans to interact with everything via the internet.

Augmented Reality is generally associated with two other related terms mixed reality and computer-mediated reality.

What are Mixed Reality and Computer-Mediated Reality?

Mixed reality (MR) or perplexity is the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations, where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time. Mixed reality does not exclusively take place in either the physical world or the virtual world, but is a hybrid of augmented reality and virtual reality. Here virtual reality means when the whole of the real world is replaced by digital experience offering an immersive experience that is solely constructed through imagery and sensory inputs. On the other hand, Computer-mediated reality refers to the ability to add to, subtract information from, or otherwise manipulate one's perception of reality through the use of a wearable computer or hand-held device such as a smartphone. The most common application could be seen in different types of filters which add to the real images by altering a part of the visual perception.

What are the applications of AR in the real world?

The most popular immersive web application in the world is Street View, introduced by Google as early as 2007 after that Augmented Reality has been used across different verticals like Healthcare, Media, Gaming, Aviation, Music, Advertisement, and popular apps like Snapchat and Instagram as AR filters.

Pitfalls of Augmented Reality

The biggest danger from AR is Reality Modifications by the end users. One in three internet users likes to edit the environment around them while two in five want to change the environment and people around them. This makes them oblivious to the surroundings which can lead to dangerous accidents, Pokémon Go being a prime example. With the overload of sensory inputs and users editing out what they do not like around them, it may make people hate and avoid the real world around them. There are also privacy concerns as the concept of modern augmented reality depends on the ability of the device to record and analyze the environment in real-time. Because of this, there are potential legal concerns over privacy-protected areas and media copyrights being prime examples.